Temperament -n- Personality -n- Character

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How our temper men effects how we handle conflict? Is it one of those defining factors Sensei of old used unconsciously to determine a students nature in learning karate and martial arts?

Is this more a Japanese thing in okinawa's attempt toward assimilation and acceptance they sought when assessing potential students?

Was the teaching of Ti more about teaching select persons who lived in the sensei's village and the relationship as village members similar to tribe survival group dynamics, etc.?

Would the Shi-kata model have been assimilated by the Okinawan natives as far back as the 1600's occupation by the Japanese samurai?

It should be noted that, as far as my personal studies would indicate, the Okinawans would only assimilate and adopt those socially driven constructs if they benefited from them and felt they were worth while even while under the sword of the occupiers. As to being under the sword it also appears that they actually took the logical course when the Japanese came to conquer in the 1600’s because they still had their ways as a dominant social construct. 

As you are already aware, temperment is about a person’s nature, especially as that nature pertains to their behavior, i.e., as in their disposition, character, personality, mind and spirit, etc. 

When a Sensei of old would consider a prospective student to learn his system or style they often wanted to see that person’s personality, i.e., temperment, under action and helps explain why stories about prospective students performing seemingly useless chores, etc. around the dojo. It was a means by which the sensei could observer over time how that person’s temperment handled certain tests. 

Sensei today don’t necessarily test out the personalities of a student but to teach one should try to ascertain the students temperment where the way sense teaches can be geared toward things like the student as to being an introvert vs. an extrovert. As I continue trying to understand the complexities of the temperment as to how that is a part of our personalities and by its action produces one’s character we can get a hint as to how we can train them toward maximum productivity.

Other aspects that are “Tells” to the temperment and personality of an individual are optimism, short-tempered or irritable, analytical and quiet, relaxed or peaceful and so on where these traits combine to make up that persons temperment therefore personality and overall their character. 

A person who trains in karate and martial arts with a trait of being optimistic tends to have a trait toward confidence and positive, cheerful and bright mind-state as with minimal, in comparison to other effort levels, encouragement will prosper, learn and grow in these disciplines while a person who lacks optimism and leans toward pessimism will find reasons to doubt themselves and look to the lesser or worst aspects of training, practice, application and growth.

Know such aspects of a person allows sensei to evaluate the forms of training and practice best suited to that persons ability to learn, absorb and most of all understand in all levels of psychological, physical and spiritual. 

When you begin to discern aspects of individual temperment in their personalities you get hints and clues as to how to maximize their learning and understanding but even more important the fun they can have overcoming struggles, obstacles and growing pains of karate and martial arts, i.e., the trials and tribulations of learning a discipline that fosters, builds and creates a greater psychological, physical and spiritual self that will benefit the person and their lives in the social constructs of their personal belief systems. 

This is just another understanding as to the difficulties of teaching but more importantly the responsibilities a teacher, Sensei, assumes when they step in front of a group of students. 

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